Somewhere I Belong
by redhedqt
Summary: When Lizzie finds out she's adopted, she, Gordo, and Miranda go on a road trip to find her real parents, but what she really finds is herself.
1. Prologue

Somewhere I Belong  
  
Prologue  
  
"Guess what day it is!" Lizzie McGuire asked as she bounded over to her locker where her two best friends, Miranda Sanchez and David "Gordo" Gordon currently stood.  
  
"The day after Thursday?" Gordo asked. Lizzie shot him a look.  
  
"Try again."  
  
"It's Friday, Lizzie." Miranda said. "I have a French test."  
  
"Aren't you guys forgetting something important?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Like what?" Miranda asked. She and Gordo looked at each other strangely, then realization dawned on them.  
  
"Oh my god, I fully forgot!" Miranda exclaimed. Lizzie sighed, relieved.  
  
"Yeah...so I was thinking..."  
  
"...today's opening day of that new Josh Hartnett movie." Miranda added.   
  
Lizzie's face fell. "Oh. Right. Yeah, Josh Hartnett."  
  
"Shit, Lizzie, hold my books for me, I gotta pull something outta my locker." Gordo said, piling a rather large pile of books in her arms.  
  
"Oof!" she said. "Gordo..." her prepared rant at Gordo was cut off when he pulled a huge gift bag out of his locker.   
  
"Did you honestly think we would forget?" Miranda scolded as she pulled an equally big giftbag out of her locker. Gordo yanked his books away from her and they handed her the gifts.  
  
"You guys!" she gasped. "Oh my gosh!"  
  
Gordo laughed. "We've been doing this to you every year since sixth grade, you woulda thought you would have caught on by now."  
  
But right now Lizzie was too happy to bother with a snappy comeback. Pawing through Gordo's bag, she pulled out a pair of black tuxedo pants with silver sequins down the side of each leg and a lacy black shirt with bell sleeves. "Wow, Gordo, these are really nice. You even got the right sizes."  
  
"Yeah, well, he had some help." Miranda spoke up.  
  
"Just with the sizes!" Gordo argued.  
  
Miranda shot him a look.  
  
"And with the store." Gordo added.  
  
"Ahem!" Miranda cleared her throat.  
  
"And the color."   
  
Lizzie laughed. "I don't care, it's the thought that counts. Plus these are really awesome!"  
  
"There's more." Gordo said.  
  
"More?" Lizzie asked.   
  
"Yeah...I'll give you your real present later tonight." Gordo said.  
  
"Why, what's later tonight?" Lizzie asked. "I mean, besides dinner with my parents and Matt."  
  
"Well, we're all eighteen now..." Miranda said.  
  
"So we're taking you to The End." Gordo put in.  
  
"The End?" Lizzie exclaimed. "You mean the hottest club in Hillridge?"  
  
"That's the one." Miranda replied. "Do you love me or do you love me?"  
  
Lizzie shrieked, hugging her best friend. "I fully love you!"  
  
Just then the bell rang.  
  
"Well, you guys can save the love fest for study hall, because we need to get to class." Gordo said.  
  
"Ugh, class." Miranda said.   
  
"I think you can survive for two more weeks, Miranda. Then we're done with high school!" Lizzie said.   
  
"It'll be so good." Miranda said.  
  
"Definitely." Lizzie agreed.  
  
Just then, the second bell rang, announcing them all late for class. The three friends looked at each other.  
  
"Shit!" they all said, and scrambled for class.  
  
Later that day...  
  
"Thanks for the cake, mom. It was really great." Lizzie said as she helped her mom clean up. "Mom, what's wrong?"  
  
"Lizzie, we need to talk to you about something." Jo McGuire, Lizzie's mother, said.   
  
"What is it? I only have so much time, Gordo and Miranda are gonna be here any moment."  
  
"Lizzie, you may wanna sit down." Lizzie's father Sam McGuire advised.  
  
"Is it bad?" Lizzie inquired softly.  
  
"Not necessarily." Jo said. "Lizzie, we haven't been totally honest with you about something."  
  
Lizzie's eyes darted between her parents. "What? Mom, just tell me."  
  
"Lizzie, you and your brother are both adopted." Sam said.  
  
"WHAT?!?" Lizzie exclaimed. "Mom, tell Dad to cut it out, I know pranking Lizzie on her birthday is a tradition, but you're taking it too far!"  
  
"We decided we would tell you on your eighteenth birthday." Jo stated. "Lizzie, don't say anything to Matt, he doesn't know yet."  
  
"So...you're not my real mother?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Lizzie, we raised you, we fed you, we took care of you. We loved you. I couldn't have children of my own. You and Matt were both...and still are such blessings." Jo said.  
  
"You're not my real parents?" Lizzie repeated.  
  
"Biological, no. But we loved you as much as any parent loves any child." Sam said.  
  
"I can't believe this...you're lying. You're lying!!!" Lizzie yelled, tears streaming down her face.  
  
"Lizzie, we had to tell you." Jo said.  
  
"Then why did you wait so long? How could you do this to me? Why are you doing this?" Lizzie cried. Jo moved forward to touch her daughter's shoulder, but Lizzie just jerked away. "Don't touch me!" she shrieked.  
  
"Lizzie..." Sam started.  
  
"Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda are here!" Matt yelled. Gordo and Miranda walked into the kitchen, smiles on their faces.  
  
"Hey, Lizzie, you ready...whoa. Lizzie what's wrong?" Gordo asked.  
  
"Are you okay?" Miranda asked.  
  
Lizzie struggled to hold the tears in, but it was a losing battle.  
  
"Guys...I don't feel like going to the club anymore." she said before running upstairs. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One: A Thousand Miles  
  
"Hey Lizzie!" Miranda tried her best to sound cheery.  
  
"Hi." Lizzie grunted as she flopped down into the booth of Tony's Pizza Parlor. They had given up the Digital Bean long ago, mostly middle schoolers and freshmen hung out there. Now their stomping ground was the pizza parlor, which held pool tables, foozeball tables, and assorted pinball machines as well as a juke box. Anyone who was anyone at Hillridge High School hung out there.   
  
The last four years had ushered in all sorts of changes for Lizzie and her friends. Though it went totally against her former middle school credo (don't do it if it's not cool) Lizzie had decided to pick up rythmic gymnastics again, and found she excelled at it. So much so, that she had a full scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles on the rythmic gymnastics team. Taking another cue from her junior high days, she was the writer for the advice column of her high school's newspaper, and occassionally did news pieces. She was going to college to major in Journalism using her full ride with rythmic gymnastics, and couldn't be happier about it.  
  
The summer between eighth and ninth grade, Miranda had went on a trip to Mexico City and fell in love with the city, and as a result fully embraced her Latina roots. She was Vice President of the Hispanic Student Association at Hillridge High, a member of the Spanish club, and spent a semester of her junior year as a foreign exchange student to Spain. She planned to minor in Hispanic Studies in college, but her heart was in music. When she wasn't too busy globe trotting or boning up on Mexican history, Miranda was involved with Concert Choir, Chorale Ensemble, Gospel Choir, and Girls' Show Choir, and was the lead singer in an all girl pop punk band called Exit to Eden. She was going to major in music in college, and was attending UCLA like Lizzie. Though they were very different and definitely had different interests, Lizzie and Miranda were first and foremost best friends.  
  
Perhaps the one that had changed the most, however, was Gordo. He was still into his movies, of course, that would never change. Over the past four years he had directed and produced quite a few independent films. Even more interesting than his films, however, was how he earned the money to make them. Lizzie didn't know exactly when it had occured, but some time in ninth grade Gordo had turned into a major pool shark. He would challenge anyone who knew how to hold a pool stick, and usually cleaned them out. Lizzie and Miranda were both convinced he could go pro, but no, he would tell them, pool is just for fun. Movies were what really mattered. Still, if he were to be honest with himself, he'd have to admit he really enjoyed the sport. It was one of the only ones where size didn't matter. Gordo was by no means the same height he was in middle school, but at 5'9, he was still shorter than the majority of the other guys in the senior class. He had gotten used to it though, it didn't really bug him anymore. He still managed to be bigger than life on campus, ever since sophomore year when he had taken over as DJ for Hillridge High radio. He was attending USC film school and hoped to possibly get a job working at the college radio station.   
  
The three of them had underwent some changes, alright, but one thing had always stayed the same. They were best friends, first and foremost. And as of late, all of Gordo and Miranda's excitement about graduation and college had come to a screeching halt when their friend's world had been turned upside down. She just hadn't been the same since she found out she was adopted.  
  
"Is Gordo playing pool?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Where else would he be?" Miranda said. "Oh wait, here he comes."  
  
Gordo walked over to the booth and slid in next to Lizzie, taking apart his pool stick and putting it in its little velvet lined leather case. Gordo definitely took that sport seriously. He slammed his flat hand down on the table and Lizzie and Miranda both jumped. When Gordo moved his hand away, a large wad of bills sat in its place. Lizzie's eyes widened. Sure, Gordo made out like a bandit every time, but it still never ceased to amaze her.  
  
"Geez, Gordo, how much did you make this time?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Two fifty. Not bad for a day's work, huh? You guys want a pizza?" Gordo asked.  
  
"I'm not very hungry." Lizzie mumbled.  
  
"Lizzie, you've lost like five pounds in the past week from not eating." Miranda said. "Eat something!"  
  
Lizzie shrugged. "I just don't feel like eating, okay?"  
  
Gordo sighed. "Well, I'm starving, so we're ordering. You can eat or not eat, whatever."  
  
"Gordo!" Miranda said.  
  
"Look, I just don't feel like getting into an argument about Lizzie's eating habits again, okay?" Gordo shot back.  
  
"I can't believe they lied to me for eighteen years." Lizzie said.  
  
"Lizzie, look at how you reacted." Miranda said. "You haven't spoken to them in two weeks. Imagine how you would've acted if they would have told you when you were six or seven."  
  
Lizzie sighed. "I know, but...this changes everything. My entire life has been a lie."  
  
"Your entire life has not been a lie. You're still you." Gordo replied.   
  
"I just feel empty." Lizzie said. "Like there's a part of me missing."   
  
"Well you're still the same old Lizzie McGuire." Gordo replied.  
  
"Well why don't I feel like it?" Lizzie replied.   
  
"Because you've just had a huge shock and had your world turned upside down. It's understandable, Lizzie!" Miranda said.  
  
"This changes everything though." Lizzie replied. "I have no idea who I am, where I belong, none of it."  
  
Gordo sat there, pondering, as he listened to Lizzie pour her heart out to Miranda. "So let's go find out."  
  
"What?" Lizzie asked, looking at him.  
  
"Let's do a little research, and then we'll find your parents. Your real parents."  
  
"Gordo, it's a big country, they could be anywhere." Lizzie said glumly.   
  
"So? School's ending in two weeks, Lizzie. That gives us enough time to do research, and then when school ends, we go on a road trip to find them."  
  
"I don't know..." Lizzie said.  
  
"You know, it is doable. I mean, what do we have to do this summer? Nothing! Let's find your parents, Lizzie." Miranda said.  
  
"Seriously?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Let's do it!" Gordo said.  
  
Lizzie smiled faintly. "Okay. We'll go find my parents." she nodded. "Okay." 


End file.
